IOLA BULLDOGS
New coach settling in on fly
Bamburg says Bulldogs working hard to handle his system since he took job July 23 By JEFF PERKINS jeffrey.perkins@theeagle.com
Any time a football team goes through a coaching change, there’s a transition period. For Iola and new head coach Kerry Bamburg, it’s been more of a whirlwind. Bamburg officially took the Iola job on July 23, less than two weeks before UILsanctioned practices started in early August when the former Aldine Eisenhower coach first was able to get to know his team. “I’m still learning names,” Bamburg joked. “I’m trying to put names with numbers and faces, so I’m still learning that. Some of these kids I only met a week ago. It says a lot about the coaches that were here before me and the ones still here. They kept the program going. I was the last guy in, and we hit the ground running.” Despite the quick turnaround, Bamburg’s Iola squad is hopeful it can get back to its winning ways after a disappointing 4-5 season last year, when the Bulldogs finished second in District 13-2A Division II and bowed out in the bi-district round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs aren’t starting from scratch during the transition as Bamburg will run similar offensive and defensive schemes to his predecessor, Dwayne Ross, with most of the changes being in terminology rather than execution. “T hey’ve responded well,” Bamburg said. “Everything we’ve asked them to do, they’re doing. We
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ROSTER 1 WR/DB Zach Hollingsworth, sr.; 2 WR/DB Cale Creamer, fr.; 3 WR/DL Colby Sechelski, jr.; 4 WR/DB Case Creamer, jr.; 5 QB/DB Ricky Flores, sr.; 6 WR/LB Adam Crenshaw, sr.; 7 RB/LB Cale Gould, jr.; 8 WR/LB Clayton Stafford, soph.; 9 WR/LB JR. Putz, sr.; 10 WR/DB Phillip England, soph.; 11 QB/ DB Blake Driver, sr.; 15 WR/DB Chad Guidry, jr.; 17 RB/DB Colton Boullion, sr.; 20 QB/DB Brian Crosby, fr.; 22 WR/DB Scott McDougald, fr.; 25 RB/ LB Robert Perez, jr.; 28 WR/LB Daniel Rios, fr.; 33 RB/LB Coy Elliott, soph.; 34 RB/DB Blake Crocker, fr.; 40 RB/LB Anthony Womack, soph.; 44 WR/ LB Wesley Alexander, fr.; 50 OL/DL Spencer Quinlan, jr.; 52 OL/LB Kurtis Landry, sr.; 53 OL/DL Anthony Robbins, jr.; 56 OL/LB Cade Walton, fr.; 57 OL/DL Levi Hunn, fr.; 58 OL/DL Brandon Perez, fr.; 60 OL/DL Jackson Doucet, jr.; 70 OL/LB Reece Heitt, jr.; 72 OL/DL Chris Bosquez, soph.; 75 OL/ DL Clayton Costello, sr.; 76 OL/DL Tyler Westbrook, sr.; 77 OL/DL Joe Leveridge, fr. Managers: Rileigh Mabry, Mackenzie Mitts, Cullen Walton, Dustin Crosby, Zaybryn Barrera Coaches: head coach Kerry Bamburg, athletic director Kent Benedict, offensive coordinator John Reed, defensive coordinator Isaiah Barrera, special teams coordinator Marc Minatrea
Eagle photo by Laura McKenzie Iola seniors Zachary Hollingsworth and Adam Crenshaw provide the Bulldogs a pair of key targets in the passing game. didn’t change a whole lot offensively. We’ve got some experienced guys back, so they already kind of know the scheme. Defensively, we’re making changes here and BAMBURG there, but those guys have responded.” Iola will have to replace
High School Football 2019
starting quarterback Randy Johnson, who returned from injury midseason to lead the Bulldogs on a three-game winning streak to reach the playoffs. Blake Driver is the likely candidate to lead the offense, but the 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior will have to beat out senior Ricky Flores and freshman Brian Crosby. The winner of that competition will have plenty of help at receiver with seniors Adam Crenshaw and Zach
Hollingsworth and junior Case Creamer returning. Bamburg said he likes the 6-2 Crenshaw’s strength, and Hollingsworth and Creamer can break off big plays with their speed. Senior Colton Boullion will be the lead running back for Iola operating behind a line that features a pair of returning starters on the left side in junior tackle Spenser Quinlin and senior guard Tyler Westbrook. Boullion played behind seniors KaiWESTBROOK den Halley and Andrew England on the depth chart last season, but Bamburg said he is excited about his speed and ability in the open field. Boullion w i l l p l ay an important role in all three phases as he will handle place-kicking duties BOULLION and also start in the secondary, the Bulldogs’ most experienced position group with four re-
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SCHEDULE
FACTS
Date Opponent Time Aug. 30 at Somerville 7 p.m. Last year: W 34-6 Sept. 6 Normangee 7 p.m. Last year: : 26-13 Sept. 13 at Anderson-Shiro 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 6-0 Sept. 20 Milano 7:30 p.m. Last year: did not play Sept. 27 Burton 7:30 p.m. Last year: L 61-14 Oct. 4 at Tomball Rosehill Christian 7 p.m. Last year: did not play District 13-2A Division II Oct. 11 at Granger 7 p.m. Last year: L 28-7 Oct. 18 Chilton* 7 p.m. Last year: W 41-22 Oct. 25 open Nov. 1 at Bremond 7 p.m. Last year: W 34-27 Nov. 8 Bartlett 7 p.m. Last year: 49-0 *Homecoming
Head coach — Kerry Bamburg (2627 overall; 0-0 at Iola) District — 13-2A Division II 2018 record — 4-5 (3-1 in 13-2A Division II) 2018 playoffs — bi-district: lost to Flatonia 30-28 Playoff appearances (19) — 1939, 1960, 1991-95, 1998-99, 2001, 100506, 2012-18 Returning lettermen — 16 (5 offensive, 5 defensive starters) Key returners — WR/S Zach Hollingsworth (14-2A D2 A-D), WR/ LB Adam Crenshaw (A-D), WR/S Case Creamer(2nd A-D), OL Spencer Quinlan (2nd A-D), OL Tyler Westbrook (2nd A-D), DL Clayton Costello (2nd A-D), RB/S Colton Boullion (HM A-D), CB Chad Guidry (HM A-D), LB Coy Elliott (HM A-D) Key newcomers — QB Blake Driver Key losses — QB/RB Andrew England (Off. POY), DE Kaiden Halley (Def POY), QB/FS Randy Johnson (NOY), WR/DB Andrew Crenshaw (A-D), OL/DL Cody Ozbolt (A-D), OL Jaggar Vaughn (A-D), OL/DL Ryan Lawrence (A-D), LB Preston Futrell (A-D), DL Zach Archer (A-D), DL Lee Goodman (A-D), K JD Funderburk (2nd A-D), P Bryn Roberts (2nd A-D) All-time record — 393-345-17 Playoff record — 20-18-1
turning starters. Boullion and junior Chad Guidry will line up at cornerback with Creamer and Hollingsworth at safety. The defense returns six starters overall, with sophomore Coy Elliot and Crenshaw coming backatoutside linebacker in the Bulldogs’ 3-4 scheme. Iola’s experience in the back end of its defense should help the new COSTELLO starters in the trenches, led by Westbrook at nose guard. Elliot, Crenshaw and Clayton Costello also will
help the line put pressure on the quarterback from the edges. Boullion said he is encouraged by how the team has handled the coaching transition and performed on both sides of the ball during preseason practices. “I feel like at this point in the season, a week and a half into [practices], we’re better than we were three or four weeks into last year,” Boullion said.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
